Philadelphia Phillies sign former Toronto Blue Jays right-handed reliever

According the the teams official transaction log, the Philadelphia Phillies have signed right-hander Trevor Richards to a minor League contract.

This deal comes off the heels of the Phillies signing former Blue Jays lefty Genesis Cabrera earlier on Tuesday.

Richards, 33 in May, made five combined appearances last year between the Royals and Diamondbacks.

Richards moved into a full-time bullpen role in 2021, and over the next four seasons, he was one of the more durable bullpen arms in the league.

From 2021-24, he was one of only seven relievers to throw at least 60 innings each year.

He appeared in a total of 226 games and threw 266 1/3 innings for the Rays, Brewers, Blue Jays, and Twins.

Only six pitchers both made more appearances and threw more innings in that span. His 4.60 ERA was mediocre, but his 4.21 FIP and 3.64 SIERA were more impressive, and regardless, his ability to eat innings out of the bullpen was valuable in and of itself.

His above-average changeup makes him a quality option against lefties, more so than versus righties.

Richards doesn't have a strong recent track record, but he's bee a serviceable middle reliever at various points in his career and at the very least can miss bats at a solid clip.

Richards is coming off a 5.19 ERA despite solid strikeout and walk numbers between three Triple-A clubs. He'll compete for a swing role in Spring Training.

Also read on Blue Jays Central :
Free agent Kyle Tucker nearing decision after three-year offer from New York Mets